White Day
by Milotic
Summary: Every year White Day ends the same way for Misty. Could this year be different? One-shot.


* * *

White Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I do, however, own this story.

Author's Note: White Day is a Japanese holiday that occurs in March. On White Day men and boys send females they love gifts.

Misty glanced outside her window for the umpteenth time that evening. Small white patches covered the ground, but soon the fluffy snow would be gone for good, a welcome change for Misty, who always welcomed the warmer weather. She was, after all, a beach girl through and through, a Goldeen out of water, as the saying goes. Oh, how Misty loved the beach, how she longed for the chance to sunbathe in her bikini, soaking up the warm rays, for the chance to taste the salty water, for the chance to float along with the steady cadence of the waves, her body hovering up and down, up and down…

A soft tinkling sound, the sound of the melting snow traveling through her home's gutters, brought Misty back to reality. It was March, only March. Snow still remained, and it would be a while before the beautiful Sakura tress blossomed. Not only was it still March, Misty thought with a scowl, but it was, in fact, the eve of her least favorite day in March…no, scratch that; it was the eve of her least favorite day of the year, for March 14, also known as White Day, was quickly approaching.

Oh, Misty knew all too well how tomorrow would go. She would wake up in the morning to the hideous yells of her older sisters, each competing to see who had obtained the most presents, the priciest chocolates, the softest, cutest stuffed Pokémon. (Usually, Daisy, being the oldest, would be begrudgingly named the winner, much to the chagrin of Lily and Violet.) She, of course, would receive nothing, and be at the butt end of her sisters' teasing (no, make that verbal abuse!) until the wretched day was over. Fun, huh?

Alas! Misty continued to stare out her bedroom window, her eyes glazing over with sleepiness. Despite all of the years of momentous disappointment, she couldn't help but feel that small glimmer of hope, the one that made her stomach do flip-flops, the one that ultimately always let her down. Would this year be the year she would get a gift? More importantly, would this be the year he would send her something?

* * *

"Eeek!"

"Like, oh my God, Lily, what is it?"

"It's…it's…you'll have to come here and see!"

Yawning and stretching, Misty couldn't help but roll her eyes, still crusted with sleep.

"Oh my God!"

At this point Misty briefly covered her ears with her hands, trying desperately to block out three high-pitched voices squealing (no, more like screeching!) in unison. It was too much for someone who had just woken up.

Flinging her feet off the side of her bed, Misty slowly stood up, dressed, pulled her red hair into its trademark side ponytail, and, in a typically masochistic fashion, ventured downstairs to see what all the fuss was about.

"Oh my God, Misty, you, like, have to see this!" Violet exclaimed, grabbing her little sister by the arm and dragging her into the living room, where, upon entering, Misty saw a veritable treasure trove of plushies, flowers, and sweets. In the middle sat Lily, pathetically clutching a life-sized stuffed Dewgong.

"Good morning, Misty! Isn't it, like, the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Lily questioned her barely awake fellow Cerulean City gym leader.

"Adorable," Misty replied, the sarcasm dripping from her lips. The stupid thing looked like it was about the eat Lily alive!

"Like, look what I got, Misty," Violet stated, ushering her sister over to a humongous pile of gifts. "This one is from Josh, and this one is from Mark, and these ones are all from 'secret admires!'"

Who in the world were Josh and Mark? It seemed like Misty's sisters had new boyfriends and admires by the minute!

"Misty, like, look at what you stupid friend Brock gave us," Lily ordered bossily, leading Misty over to a bunch of photos of Brock posing provocatively; in one picture, Misty noticed, the poor guy didn't even have his shirt on and was flexing his "muscles" in a rather pitiable manner.

"When will he ever learn?" Violet questioned.

Misty couldn't help but smile (probably the only smile she would produce all day, she thought irritably); she could always count on Brock to make a fool out of himself in front of pretty girls!

Pretty girls…that's what her sisters were, she thought sadly. They never had to dread White Day, never had to feel their stomachs sink to the floor when they realized they had received no gifts. They never had to feel their cheeks burn with shame, never had to spend the night crying themselves to sleep. They were pretty girls, all three of them. All three of them…suddenly Misty realized that she had only heard from two of her sisters that morning.

"Guys, where's Daisy?"

Violet let out a derisive snort. "Like, go see for yourself, baby sister. She's in the kitchen looking at a vase of ugly looking flowers, even though she received all of those cool gifts over there," Violet answered, pointing at what was, as usual, the biggest pile of gifts.

Misty entered the kitchen and found her eldest sister staring at a simple arrangement of daisies. Violet actually had a point for a change; it was rather odd that Daisy, usually so concerned with material goods, seemed so enraptured by something so simple when there were much more glamorous and expensive gifts to be found in the living room.

"Hey, Daisy."

"Oh, hi, Misty," Daisy responded. Misty noticed, shock coursing through her veins, that her lovely blond sister was blushing.

Although Daisy, Violet, and Lily had many admires and the occasional boyfriend, Misty knew that her sisters never truly cared about the guys who showered them with gifts and compliments. _They, _unlike Misty, didn't know what it was like to truly love someone. Therefore it came as quite a surprise to see Daisy blushing.

"What have you got there, Daisy?"

"Umm, like, nothing. Why do you ask?" Daisy replied, quickly hiding something behind her back.

"Because you're blushing," Misty answered with a grin.

"Am I? Oh…"

"What's behind your back? Can I see it?" Misty's curiosity, as usual, had gotten the best of her.

"What? No!"

"Oh, come on, Daisy!"

"No!"

Misty then attempted to grab the piece of paper her sister was hiding behind her back, but Daisy quickly maneuvered it away. The two sisters fought for a while until Misty, despite her small size, was able to overcome her sister, who was too afraid to break a nail, and grab the piece of paper.

"I love the times we spend together at the lab. Hopefully I'll be able to see you again soon. Love, T," Misty read aloud.

"Misty!" Daisy shrieked.

"Who's T? And where's this—"

The older gym leader quickly covered the younger gym leader's mouth so she couldn't say anymore. "If you say a word about this to your sisters I'll tell them about the time you wet the bed," Daisy threatened.

"Daisy, I was six! Six-year-olds do that all of the time!"

"Fine, then. If you say a word about this to your sisters I'll tell _Ash _about the time you wet the bed!"

Now it was Misty's turn to blush. Daisy always knew how to hit her most sensitive nerve.

"That's what I thought…"

Smirking, Daisy led her sister back into the living room, where Violet and Lily were taking turns gushing over their presents.

The piles sure were huge! Presents of all kinds littered the small living room. Glancing over all of the gifts, Misty couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. With so many presents, surely at least one might be for her, right?

Mustering up all of the courage she could, Misty decided that now might be an appropriate time to ask The Question.

"Guys…" she began softly, successfully gaining her sisters' attention. Each turned to look at her, and she knew it was now or never. "Were there, um, were there any presents for me?"

Violet and Lily shared looks of pure shock while Daisy could only look at her sister with a most sympathetic look on her face. Suddenly, the two middle sisters burst out laughing.

"Gifts for you? Like, what are you, crazy? Who would ever send a gift to you?" Violet taunted.

"Yeah, like, scrawny, ugly runts don't receive gifts for White Day! Only beautiful Sensational Sisters receive White Day presents!" Lily added.

"What, were you expecting a gift from that pipsqueak in Sinnoh?"

That stung, and it definitely hit a raw nerve. Fighting back tears, Misty turned to leave the room. Violet and Lily continued laughing.

"Oh, for the love of Mew, will you guys stop it?" Daisy, always the figure of authority in the family, addressed her younger sisters. "Can't you see that she's hurt?"

Rushing over to Misty, Daisy pulled her littlest sister into a hug, which Misty gratefully accepted.

"I just thought maybe this year would be the year," Misty said quietly.

"I know, Misty. I know."

* * *

Misty rubbed her calloused hands together; somehow her sisters had decided that tonight was her night to wash the dishes _again_. It didn't make sense that she had washed them three out of the last seven nights, but Misty was in too much of a foul mood to argue.

As the warm water ran over her hands, Misty's mind began to wander, eventually settling on (who else?) Ash and his friends. Surely Dawn must have gotten some presents for White Day; she was a pretty girl, after all (unlike herself, Misty couldn't help but think sadly). Soon she was thinking of Ash alone. She wondered what he had been up to that day in Sinnoh. Maybe he had even caught a new Pokémon or received a gym badge. Oh, how she hated not being able to travel with him anymore, not being able to share every victory, not being able to wish him goodnight each night. She missed him more than she would dare admit to anyone, missed his smiling face, his inflated ego, his caring nature. Most of all, she missed not having to love him from afar…

A knock on the door awoke Misty from her reverie. Glancing out the window, she noticed it was a package delivery man. Sighing, she opened the door. The man was sorry that the package was late, but it had come from a far away land. Misty told the man that she would just be a minute and that she had to go get her sisters. God, as if they didn't have enough presents as it was!

Lily grabbed the package first, eyeing it suspiciously. "No way," she muttered.

Violet took the parcel from her sister and gasped, handing it to Daisy, who could only smile before saying, "It's for you, Misty."

Misty's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, her stomach somersaulting. "Are…are you sure?" she asked tentatively.

"Why don't you go open it in your room?" Daisy suggested kindly.

Misty snatched the package eagerly from her eldest sister and ran up to her room. Sitting on her bed she opened the box carefully. Gleefully glanced at the stuffed Togepi, chocolates, and single rose, she almost missed the note at the bottom.

"Dear Misty," she began reading, picking up the note. "I just wanted to thank you for being my best friend. Love, me."

Misty's mind swelled with questions. Who would send her this package and such a note? It had to be someone she had met years ago when she had Togepi, and the package delivery man had said it was from a far away land. Well, Rudy lived in the Orange Islands and Georgio was traveling in Hoenn, and both had definitely admired her, although she had hardly considered either a best friend. Unless…nah, it couldn't be.

It was then that Misty noticed a peculiar marking on the bottom of the note. Examining it further, Misty determined that it was a Pokémon footprint, a very familiar Pokémon footprint...the footprint of a small rodent Pokémon.

Could it be? Surely it couldn't. Then again, maybe it could…

The End

Author's Note: I told you I wouldn't let my fic count end at nine. I was in the mood to write something, and came up with this idea. Because I was a good girl and worked diligently on my school work all weekend, I thought I'd reward myself by letting myself write this fic. Now it's back to the grind of a history paper and preparing for my English seminar (and God do I hate seminars!). This was a welcome relief from the stress of school. After all, Pokémon fanfiction is surely more important than school work, right?

You didn't think I'd really let things end sadly for Misty, did you? If you don't know who Misty's secret admire is, read my other fics (or even just look at their summaries!). If you think it's OoC for him to send something to Misty, well, remember that his letter is anonymous and this is supposed to take place later in the series when he's realized his feelings for her.

The source of my information on White Day is the favorite research tool of all undergraduates: Wikipedia, of course!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Leave me some reviews and let me know! :)


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